


So Now I Matter?

by NMFergus



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Langst, M/M, klance, klangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 04:07:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14708775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NMFergus/pseuds/NMFergus
Summary: Lance feels like all he does is mess up and get yelled at. Like he doesn't even matter. His team doesn't realize this till Lance is gravely injured.





	So Now I Matter?

Lance stood still as Shiro stood in front of him, lecturing him about his latest mistake. 

“Lance, you can’t keep goofing off! You almost got us caught today trying to show off. You need to take things more-!” Shiro was cut off by a blaring alarm.

“Paladins, we are being attacked!” Coran’s voice came over the loudspeaker. 

“Everyone, get to your lions! Lance, I’ll let you off with a warning,” Shiro commanded. Everyone nodded and ran off to their lions.

Lance sighed as he climbed into Blue. “It seems like all I’m doing is making mistakes Blue. I feel...worthless. Like I don’t even deserve to be on the team. At least, that’s how everyone is making it seem.” Lance sat down, then he and Blue raced off. 

There were Galra everywhere, attacking every side of the castle. The others were already out there, shooting down every ship they good. Lance did the same, blasting Galra ships left and right. He was so concentrated however, he didn’t notice a ship sneak up from behind until he was jolted forward, head hitting the controls. 

A cry of pain left him, but no one seemed to hear it. Lance grimaced as he felt a hot liquid run down his face. He gingerly touched his head, and when he pulled his hand back, he saw red.

“Lance! What are you doing just sitting there!?” Keith yelled.

Lance sucked in a sharp breath. “Sorry!” He went back to work, firing at the Galra. It seemed like they really had it out for him because he was being attacked almost non-stop, getting more battered and bruised from hitting the seat and controls. 

After what felt like forever, Lance could finally let out a sigh of relief as the Galra ships retreated. Cheers from Pidge and Hunk could be heard and Lance let out a chuckle. He winced though when he got a raging headache, and he remembered that his head was bleeding. 

“Hey Blue, can you get us back while I bandage up my head?” Lance reached into the emergency supplies and pulled out a first aid kit. Blue started moving back to the castle while Lance did his best to bandage his head. It wasn’t the best, but it would do for now. 

When Blue was settled, Lance crawled out and headed to the lounge area. Walking wasn’t the best idea though, because he almost fell several times. Lance settled for leaning heavily against the wall as he walked. 

Lance finally made it into the lounge room to see that the others were already there, celebrating their latest victory. 

“Lance, there you are! We- oh my gosh, what happened to you!?” Allura jumped up and hurried over to Lance. The others stopped what they were doing to see what Allura was talking about, but once they saw Lance, they all rushed over.

“Lance, what happened? Why are you bleeding?” Shiro asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

“Idiot, how did you get this banged up? You were in your lion, weren’t you?” Keith may have tried to hide it, but he was full of worry.

“Dude, we need to get you to the stasis pods!” Pidge looked over Lance, trying to mentally tally all his injuries.

Lance clenched his fist and started shaking. Why were they acting all concerned? Weren’t they yelling at him just a little bit ago?

“Lance…? Are you ok…?” Hunk asked, reaching toward Lance. Everyone one froze though when they saw tears run down Lance’s bloody face.

Lance looked up at them, and in a broken voice, whispered, “So now I matter…?”

Keith was the first to unfreeze. “Wh-what are you talking about? You always matter!”

“No, I don’t!” Lance barked, startling everyone into backing up a step. No one had heard him yell like that before, not even Hunk. “I’m easily replaceable! All I do is mess up and make unwanted jokes. My head might be messed up, but you were yelling at me just a little bit ago Shiro, right? Admit it, I’m just a placeholder until the real blue paladin appears. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go sleep in my room.” As soon as he took a step, however, Lance passed out.

Keith moved quickly to catch him and picked him up. “...I didn’t know he felt that way.”

“I don’t think any of us did. He always seemed so confident.” Shiro looked sadly at Lance.

“W-we better get him to the stasis pods. He can heal there.” Allura suggested.

Everyone nodded and followed Keith, who was carrying Lance, to the stasis pods.

\----------  
Keith stared into the stasis pod, studying Lance. They had found several bruises all over him and a few smaller cuts. Keith didn’t realize it at first, but thinking back, a lot of the Galra were attacking Lance. The Lions didn’t come with seatbelts, so of course, he was going to be thrown around with all those attacks. 

The others were all sitting near the pod, doing things to distract themselves. Pidge was working on building a computer from scratch with Hunk, Shiro was leaning against a wall reading something, and Allura and Coran were talking about something to do with the ship. They all felt too guilty to leave.

Keith just stared into the pod. He didn’t want to turn away in fear something would happen. This reminded him of the time the castle was taken over. Lance had to be in a stasis pod for a while because of the explosion. 

Another thing that he was reminded of was their bonding moment. 

The moment where Keith held the injured Lance in his arms.

Keith wouldn’t say it out loud, but he liked that moment. It was the first time he and Lance had ever gotten along. Keith wished they had more moments like that. It was nice. Although, he had grown to like other moments with Lance too. Even though he acted like he didn’t, Keith thought Lance’s jokes were hilarious. Lance was also a skilled fighter and sharpshooter. He boosted the team’s morale. He was actually a really good pilot. And though Keith wouldn’t admit it, he had seen Lance dance, and damn, could that boy move! 

So why did he say that he was easily replaceable? That he was just a placeholder? That he always messed up?

One thing was clear though. Lance was putting on a facade the whole time, hiding how he really felt. And no one noticed.

“We need to show Lance he’s wanted.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at Keith. 

Keith turned around to face the others. “Lance feels like he’s replaceable, but we need to show him he’s not. We need to show him we appreciate him.”

Shiro sighed and stood. “Keith’s right. We need to prove to Lance that he’s better than he thinks he is.”

“How do we do that though? It’s not easy to change someone’s mind like that,” Pidge mentioned.

“Maybe...we could throw him a party? Lance loves parties,” Hunk suggested, standing. “I could bake the food. And he’ll be in stasis for a while, so we could go and get him gifts.”

“That sounds like a great idea!” Allura clapped her hands together and smiled. “We can decorate the lounge with things he likes too.”

“I agree. I’ll get to work decorating!” Coran ran off to go get decorations. 

“Then the rest of us can go get gifts. Keith, Pidge, get to your lions.” Shiro looked at Allura. “Uh, Allura, can we borrow some money?”

“Oh, of course!” 

Keith smiled slightly and looked back at Lance. He would make sure that the Cuban would feel loved.

\----------

After a day, everything was set. Everyone agreed it should be a surprise party, so everyone but one would hide in the lounge, while that one leads Lance to the party. That one would be Keith. He had volunteered before anyone else could. 

So, when it was announced Lance’s pod only had a few more minutes, everyone besides Lance went to hide in the lounge. 

Keith stood in front of the stasis pod, waiting and thinking. He had realized something when they were planning the party. He may not have shown it, but Keith really liked Lance and thought he was amazing. Keith had never met someone who could be so kind and comforting, even if he put on a cocky front. But that was fake. Lance was brimming with insecurities. 

Keith didn’t know, however, how far that liking went. Keith did know that he had grown attached to Lance, and his stomach felt weird sometimes when he was around Lance. He didn’t have much experience with this, because he never felt anything like this before. 

Keith snapped out of his thoughts though when the pod door opened. A tired Lance stumbled out, and Keith quickly caught him. 

“Lance, are you ok? How are you feeling? Do you need a few more ticks in the stasis pod?” Keith held Lance as he looked him up and down.

“K-Keith? I was in stasis?” Lance looked at Keith, obviously still tired and a little delirious.  
“Yeah. You passed out because of your injuries.” Keith still supported the blue paladin as he stood.

“Oh...oh yeah. S-sorry about that.” Lance looked at the ground.

“Hey, it’s ok. How about I take you to your room so you can get dressed, then we can go to the lounge so you can relax?” Keith suggested, already leading Lance to the door.

“Alright...but, Keith?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m...I’m sorry about my outburst. I-I wasn’t thinking straight.” Lance glanced at Keith.

Keith huffed. “Well, of course you weren’t thinking straight, you’re bisexual.” 

Lance snorted, then started laughing. “Th-that was pretty clever.” 

Keith smiled, glad he was able to get Lance to laugh. “Yeah it was. And Lance?”

“Y-yeah?” Lance was currently trying to regain his breath.

“You’re not replaceable.”

Lance went silent. He watched Keith like he was trying to see if he was lying or not. Keith didn’t understand why he was so skeptical, but he knew that it was time Lance knew what he thought about him.

“You’re jokes are funny, even if I pretend I to hate them. You’re a skilled fighter and the best sharpshooter I’ve ever met. You are a great pilot. You replaced me after all. And you’re a really, really good dancer and singer. There are a lot of good things about you Lance. Don’t forget that.” Keith looked Lance dead in the eyes, challenging him to argue.

Lance frowned. “You’re still better than me. You, and everyone else on the team.”

Keith growled. “Is that why you’re always so competitive with me? You think I’m better than you? Lance, everyone has their own talents. I’m a better pilot, but Hunk is a better chef, Pidge is better with tech, and Shiro is a better fighter. You? You have your own strengths.”

“...You really think so?” Lance sounded so...hopeful, and looked close to tears. It almost broke Keith’s heart. 

“I know so.” They were right outside Lance’s door at this point.

Now, what Lance did next, neither of them expected. One minute, they were staring into each other’s eyes, and the next, their lips were together. The kiss was passionate. All of their emotions were put into the kiss, their first kiss.

Keith’s arms wrapped around Lance’s neck, hands lightly gripping his hair. Lance’s arms were around Keith’s waist, pulling him closer. Their eyes burned with the flames of passion as the boys closed them. 

For Keith, this was better than cradling Lance in his arms. Better than being the best pilot. Better than beating anyone at fighting. He had won something he didn’t expect to win, or that he even knew he wanted to win. He had won Lance’s heart.

For Lance, he finally felt truly confident about something. Keith was kissing him back, which meant that Keith felt the same. Finally, he didn’t have to hide anything. His feelings, his thoughts, his true self, they were out in the open, and Keith accepted them. 

They soon found their way into Lance’s room, and onto his bed. The boys stayed as close as they could, touching all over each other. Neither wanted this to end. But, the need for air was stronger than the boys’ wants.

Lance was the first to break the kiss. They both were panting for air, just realizing how much their lungs were burning.

Keith opened his eyes to see Lance smiling. Not like his normal smiles though. This one was pure happiness, and covered almost half of Lance’s face. It infected to Keith, causing him to grin. 

“Hey, Lance?”

“Yeah?” Lance couldn’t stop smiling. 

“I like you. As in, more than a friend.” If Keith’s cheeks were red before, they certainly were now.

Lance laughed. “I think that was pretty obvious. I like you too.”

Keith chuckled and snuggled into Lance. “You’re not replaceable.”

“I realize that now. Thank you, Keith.” Lance hugged Keith close. “And thank you for staying at my stasis pod. I’m glad I didn’t wake up with no one there.”

It was at that moment that Keith realized something and jumped up. “Quiznak! Lance, get dressed, now!” Keith got up and started fixing his hair, which Lance had really messed up.

“What, why?” Lance questioned, but still started getting dressed anyway.

“Cause, I said so!”

\----------

In the lounge, the others were still hiding behind the couch with the lights off.

“Where are they? By my calculations, they should have been here by now.” Pidge held up her phone, showing her math.

“You don’t think they’re fighting, do you?” Hunk shook his head, disappointed if that was what happened.

“I don’t think they would, considering how Keith was the one who suggested that we show Lance we care,” Shiro replied.

“Hold on, I’ll connect to the castle’s cameras.” Pidge started typing on her phone.

“Do you think something bad happened?” Allura asked.

“I don’t think so. I checked Lance’s vitals before we left, and they were all good.” Coran glanced over Pidge’s shoulder to see how she was doing.

“Got it!” Pidge pulled up the security cameras and found Lance and Keith. They were making their way back to the lounge, chatting along the way. What they were chatting about though, no one could guess.

“Good, they’re headed this way. Ok guys, get back into position.” 

Back with Keith and Lance, they were almost at the lounge.

“So we’re keeping this as a secret so we can prank them later, right?” Lance confirmed.

“Yup.” Keith nodded.

“Never pegged you as a prankster.” Lance grinned and poked Keith playfully.

“There’s a whole lot you don’t know,” Keith smirked.

“Oh? That sounds like a challenge.” Lance’s grin grew.

“Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, here we are. You go in first.” Keith gestured for Lance to enter.

Lance gave him a skeptical look, but went in any way. “Why is it so dark in here?”

Keith threw on the lights, and everyone jumped out. “Surprise!”

Lance froze, then slowly started to look around the room. There were streamers, memes, and space posters littering the walls and ceiling. The floor was covered in colorful confetti. In one corner of the room, there were many wrapped presents, varying in quality, all addressed to him. The table was filled with food that was all prepared by Hunk himself, including a cake that said; “Thank You For Being You”, with everyone’s named signed in frosting.

Lance didn’t realize, but tears were starting to flow down his face.

“Lance? Why are you crying? Are you still in pain?” Shiro asked, the worried space dad that he was.

Lance wiped away his tears and grinned. “These are tears of happiness. You guys really did all of this for me?”

“We all feel bad for making you feel the way you do, so we decided to throw you a party to show you we do appreciate you,” Allura explained.

“Lance, you are a very important member of the team. We wouldn’t be here without you.” Shiro patted Lance’s head.

Lance didn’t waste any time in pulling everyone into a group hug. “You guys are the best!”

Everyone smiled, glad that they managed to make Lance feel better.


End file.
